Sam Noakes will look to work his way back to another world title shot when he takes on Denys Berinchyk at London's O2 Arena on Saturday night.
The Maidstone machine meets the former WBO lightweight champion Berinchyk in the chief support to Moses Itauma’s heavyweight world title contest against Filip Hrgovic.
Sam Noakes v Denys Berinchyk Tips Preview
Noakes went all the way with Abdullah Mason for the vacant WBO world lightweight title in Saudi Arabia last year and the Maidstone man went mightily close to claiming the belt in an enthralling contest.
The 29-year-old did not get the verdict in Riyadh, but it established Noakes as a world-level fighter and the loss to Mason is the only defeat on the Kent fighter's record.
Midge is a former British, Commonwealth and European champion and there are good victories over Ryan Walsh, Lewis Sylvester and Yvan Mendy on Noakes' card, but he now meets a fighter who used to hold the WBO world lightweight title.
Berinchyk has lost only one of his 20 professional bouts and that loss came against the unbeaten former world champion Keyshawn Davis last year.
The Ukrainian is a world-level operator, but the 38-year-old is in the twilight of his career and has been inactive for the last 18 months.
It will be interesting to see what Berinchyk has left following his loss to Davis and Noakes will be looking to expose any vulnerabilities on Saturday night.
Sam Noakes v Denys Berinchyk Tale of the Tape
Sam Noakes | Denys Berinchyk | |
Record: | 18-1 | 19-1 |
Age: | 29 | 38 |
Birthplace: | Maidstone, Kent, UK | Krasnodon, Ukraine |
Height: | 5' 8" / 173cm | 5' 7" / 170cm |
Stance: | Orthodox | Orthodox |
Last Fight: | Win - TKO v Benito Sanchez Garcia (May 2025) | Loss - KO v Keyshawn Davis (Feb 2025) |
KO%: | 88.89% | 47.37% |
Alias: | Midge | N/A |
Sam Noakes v Denys Berinchyk Top Tip
Sam Noakes to win by KO, TKO or DQ @ 8/11
Noakes bids to get back in the big time when he takes on Berinchyk in London on Saturday night and the Maidstone man can take his chance.
The 29-year-old put in an excellent effort when meeting Mason for the vacant WBO world lightweight title in Saudi Arabia last year and the Kent fighter should still have more to offer at this stage of his career.
Noakes is a former British, European and Commonwealth lightweight champion and is a heavy-hitting lightweight.
Midge has seen 16 of his 18 victories come by stoppage and he will be a threat if he can land on his aging opponent.
Noakes was denied in his world title challenge last year, but the 29-year-old returned to the ring to beat the exposed Benito Sanchez Garcia in May and he is at a stage of his career when he can come again.
Of course, a contest against a former world champion will demand more than a low-key bout against Sanchez Garcia, but Noakes has far fewer questions to answer than Berinchyk.
The Ukrainian has proved that he is a world-level operator when beating Emanuel Navarrete in 2024, but that was a long time ago and the 38-year-old has been in action just once since that success.
There are not many miles on Berinchyk's professional clock, with only 20 bouts completed, but he is a veteran of many amateur bouts and there have to be doubts as to what he has left to offer.
Berinchyk has been inactive since he lost to Davis 18 months ago and the Ukrainian was twice floored by body shots against the American, with the second knockdown bringing an end to the bout.
There have to be doubts over Berinchyk's conditioning and, given that he was floored twice in his first world title defence, body shots look to offer Noakes a clear avenue to success.
He has the power to get a faded former world champion out of the ring before the final bell and the Brit can be backed to land a stoppage success in London on Saturday night.
All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
